best tire

[SVTcobra04]

just wonderein what the best tire out there now is.ive got a 04 cobra and drive it on the street, not planning on much track use.I dont reeally know alot about tires but i want one that will give better forward traction and cornering.also one thats better in the rain because sometimes it is driven in the rain.also is there a rim the same style as stock but wider so i could pput a wider tire on the back.thanks.

[beerkat]

Check out the Nitto 555 Extreme street tire. I have runit on my Lightning for the last couple of years and love them. they a great in the rain and hook up well. I have done several HPDEs and a fewe auto-crosses with thema nd they have about 25,000 + miles ont them. When I change the tires on my '03 Cobra I know that they are what I will run. Also I am of the belief that you can run the 305 and maybe the 315 on your current rims.

[BIGV]

everyone is saying you can run the nitto 315 on the stock rims but they looked squished so if you are looking for that wide look you will need a 10.5 in rim afs http://www.afswheels.com/v2/ makes a stock 17X10.5 for 219.00 and 20 to ship. and discount tire direct http://www.tires.com/ sells the same rims for 200.00 free shipping mounting and balancing the nitto 555r are 182.00 the total package to your door 770.00 AFS doesnt even sell nitto so its your choice but I would go with the 10.5 thats what im getting

[Travis]

i have KDW's on the front, and 315 Nitto 555R's.. very pleased here

[davelegguy]

I put goodyear gsd3's on when I wore out my stock skins. They are much stickier wet and dry and have a way cool traed pattern I've put about 7000 miles on them and they are wearing well (I've also stopped spinning my tires to save my half-shafts)

[Firme]

I did some lookin to find a good street tire.

I found that Nitto 555 Street Tires were ok, but had some big downfalls. The traction seemed good on dry road, but wet road, once they let go, they let go big. Also, don't laugh, but they seemed to pick up nails and bolts like no tire I have every owned. Lastly, now that I have tried other tires, I realize they only had good traction for part of their life, once they got a little worn in, they were not all that great.

KDW's... great tires, but are expensive, and once they get worn down, their traction goes south.

BFG Comp T/A.. wear down quick, great traction when new, HORRIBLE traction when down to abotu 4-3/32

NOW, what I have found real nice, is Coopers. Discout Tire carries them, but they don't really advertise them. You can get them for about $130 a piece and they have great traction.

http://www.coopertires.com/us/en/Pro...itle=UHP+Tires

I think I am sticking with these myself, for an all around tire.

[SVTcobra04]

thanks for all the replys.I read somewhere that 10.5 in the rear will rub on the 03-03 cobras.would new tires have alot better traction then stock?thanks

[casey99COBRA]

Originally Posted by SVTcobra04

thanks for all the replys.I read somewhere that 10.5 in the rear will rub on the 03-03 cobras.would new tires have alot better traction then stock?thanks

just buy wheel spacers.

[SVTcobra04]

ok thnx.

[Butcher]

Originally Posted by SVTcobra04

thanks for all the replys.I read somewhere that 10.5 in the rear will rub on the 03-03 cobras.would new tires have alot better traction then stock?thanks

This is a fact. No doubt. I've spent awhile trying to fit 315 Goodyear F1 GS D3's on 10.5's. Aint happening, no way no shape, no form on 03-04's. Now realise, i'm a firm believer in NEVER using wheel spacers. EVER. I put on the Steeda Sport Springs, QA1 adjustable shocks, lowering the car thinking that it would tuck it enough, but even the rim rubbed. They will however fit 01 Cobras, and even present day GT's, but remember they have solid rear axles. Hell, I even changed the bolt to a round headed hex bolt, still no dice. Wheel spacers may make the difference, but I wouldn't reccomend them to anyone, especially running any performance oriented car. I ended up running 285's on the factory SVT rims for the rear on 17". I'm not sure what you could do with a 305 on an 18" rim as I never attempted it Just my 2 cents anyway.

Jimmie

[SVTcobra04]

could i put tires that are 10 inch wide and not have them rubbing on the IRS?

[Butcher]

Originally Posted by SVTcobra04

could i put tires that are 10 inch wide and not have them rubbing on the IRS?

I feel it would be extremely close. With the 9.5", look at the clearance between that bolt head and your rim, then add another half inch. I'm really not sure, as I didnt attempt it with a 10" wide rim. Based on my research, the Nitto's are the narrowest of the lot, and you should have an easier time with rub, but you will give up tirewear. I have really researched this heavily, spent 2 or 3 times on the phone with Firme, who is very knowledgeable with this stuff. I dont feel they will fit. I also am building an 8.8" solid rear axle to mount in my '04 Cobra. You can bet when I do this I'm going to immediately see if they will fit then. That should take place in the next 2 - 3 weeks, if you want to wait on the data

Jimmie

[SVTcobra04]

ok i guess ill probley just go with a stickier tire not any wider.thanks for the replys.......why did svt put an IRS on it??

[Butcher]

Originally Posted by SVTcobra04

ok i guess ill probley just go with a stickier tire not any wider.thanks for the replys.......why did svt put an IRS on it??

The IRS is an excellent axle, especially in an open track or SCCA environment for example. SVT could have tuned them better from the factory, but nonetheless, still good. However, if your looking to apply raw straight line acceleration, its fragile, even after spending a bundle on it. The solid axle gives you brute strength for staight line acceleration, which is better for the strip, and still affords you the open track/autocross setup pretty well, with some sacrifice on that end. Just depends what your main intrests are, drag or track or both, with sacrifice to one or the other side. I personally like both, but i've always loved the adrenaline rush the dragstrip gives me I feel I can still set up a solid axle differential that can compete with the IRS, albeit, the IRS will have advantages over a solid axle on a roadcourse.
Ford installed the IRS to cover everyone, and as attested here on the board, these guys LOVE track. Good marketing on FORDS part...now if they'll only toss a good 8.8 or 9" into a Mustang with the Cobra motor...maybe a built c4?

Jimmie

[SVTcobra04]

ford should offer both IRS and a solid axle.unrealistic I know.